Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s eldest son has just dropped his debut single.
Released at 12 a.m. ET on Friday, Xavier Trudeau’s song ‘Til The Nights Done’ is a moody R&B track that evokes Canadian musicians like Drake and Justin Bieber.
“What you know about me, I ain’t like him,” the 17-year-old Trudeau sings. “We could roll sum, we could light one.”
Recorded under the name Xav, and featuring additional vocals from younger sister Ella-Grace Trudeau, the new tune can be found on major streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
“We could dim em all down or leave the lights on,” Xav sings, according to lyrics posted online. “Baby we could move in slow motion til the nights done.”
The song was produced by Vishal “Duava” Daluwatte and recorded, mixed and mastered in Ottawa by Joey “Tekika” Boyer. Daluwatte and Boyer are co-founders and co-owners of Pathway Music Group, the management company that represents Xav Trudeau.
“’Til the nights done’ is a dark, mysterious RnB song that fits the vibe Xav wanted for his first release,” Boyer and Daluwatte told CTVNews.ca in an email. “The song is about someone who has true understanding and an emotional connection to someone while knowing they can’t truly be together.”
Pathway Music Group says Xav Trudeau is inspired by artists like Don Toliver, Drake and Post Malone.
“Xav has many more songs on the way,” Boyer and Daluwatte promised. “He plans to do live shows within the near future.”
After first being teased in a Instagram post last month, a music video for the song was released on Xav’s YouTube channel on Friday afternoon.
“Good work guys!” proud mom Sophie Grégoire Trudeau previously commented on Instagram.
‘He’s got a real shot’
Toronto-based music publicist Eric Alper says with lines like “What you know about me, I ain’t like him,” it’s clear Xav Trudeau is aware he has to create his own path in life.
“That shows me that he’s absolutely leaning into the idea that it’s really hard to escape the shadow of a famous parent,” Alper, who was not involved with the release, said. “The fact that he’s got that kind of self-awareness shows me that he knows that we’re all thinking that the ‘him’ in the song is about his dad, and that’s pretty key when stepping into the public eye.”
Despite an apparent marijuana reference in the lyrics, 17-year-old Xavier is technically too young to “roll sum” and “light one” – the legal age to purchase cannabis is 21 in Quebec and 19 in Ontario. Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government legalized recreational cannabis in 2018.
“I think you have to let him be that 17-year-old kid,” Alper said. “Every generation has its own methodology and its own vocabulary of what is theirs and theirs alone, and he’s absolutely leaned into that.”
Alper says Xav has also leaned into a downtempo R&B style that is immensely popular at the moment. While some online commentators have taken aim at the young musician because of his father, Alper says Xav should tune it all out and just be true to himself as an artist.
“Get off of social media for the next 72 hours, don’t look at comments, don’t let the good stuff go to your head, don’t let the bad stuff go your head,” Alper advised. “If he can actually back up the strong songwriting and the consistent releases, he’s got a real shot at carving out his own space in the industry.”
